Dig Through the Ditches
by Lacrow
Summary: What they wouldn't give to see their Meisters. What he wouldn't give to feel her touch. Into the jungle and through the ditches, seven days of hell await.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Soul Eater

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><p><strong>Dig Through the Ditches<strong>

**by.** Lacrow

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><p>Sweat dripped from his nose, mixing with caked mud as the drops plopped to the ground in a dirty drizzle. The sun barely touched him as he sat against the trunk of one of the lush trees surrounding his group, fully shaded by its thick foliage. Even so, heat still seemed to beat on the pitiful looking boy from every angle. Air was filled to the brim with moisture and it felt like at any moment it was going to give way in a torrential waterfall, drowning them physically as their dismal morale drowned them mentally.<p>

Soul Eater threw his head to the right with little control, trying his best to focus on the blurry image of Stein right next to him. His temporary meister was asleep, glasses long since put away somewhere in the pocket of his coat. The young weapon gave a snort, then flopped his head back to look at the broken party in front of him. If any of them were still awake, they didn't show it. His first instinct was to wake them up and give them hell for falling asleep, but he quickly backed out. There was nothing he could for for them now.

Their spirits were beaten and battered, and the only salvation the handpicked group of Lord Death's had in the past three days was sleep. Soul breathed in sharply at the thought; thirty-six hours without rest. Sounds of cracking twigs woke him up at night. Humidity kept him up. In the end, it was easier just not to go through the trouble. At least that's what he thought two days ago. Now that Soul was on the edge of consciousness and his eyes struggled to stay open, he regretted it altogether. It was dangerous for all of them to fall asleep at the same time, but it was no use fighting it as his lids began closing shut. With his vision went his senses, and soon it became very quiet in that makeshift camp of theirs.

Soul sucked in air right before passing out. He hoped that, if and when he woke up again, his real meister would somehow be there standing over him. The thought brought a smile to his then sleeping face.

Too bad it never happened.

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><p>The mission was bullshit from the start. Marie was out, Spirit was Lord Death's personal weapon, and Yumi was nowhere to be found. Also taking into account the fact that both Tsar Pushka and Tezca Tlipoca were long since dead and Justin Law was out being insane somewhere with the Kissin, that left only one other Deathscythe for the job. At first it didn't bother him being told that he was up for a high level mission. What did bother him was the fact that Maka wouldn't be the one to wield him.<p>

He didn't like it. None of the weapons did.

It was broken down to him as such. The mission was highly covert, meaning no large parties. Split between the six of them were a handful of three-star meisters, including Stein. The rest were all weapons from Spartoi; Harvar, Jacqueline, and Soul himself. It seemed like a random match at the time, but Lord Death assured all of them that he had thought things through carefully enough to be confident in his decision. Maka had warily agreed, putting her faith in the shinigami as she always did.

Of course, that was little consolation to her partner. The night before they were scheduled to leave, Soul lay on the couch as he stared up at the ceiling. A week without his partner. That thought was hard to swallow. They lived together, went to school together, hung out together, and pretty much did everything else besides that together. Was it uncool to worry about leaving one you trusted so much behind? If it was, Soul didn't care. He just wanted his meister back, and he hadn't even left yet.

_"Did you get any sleep?"_

Soul wasn't surprised when he heard Maka's voice, in fact he almost expected it. Not a muscle of his moved as he continued to stare up at the ceiling, Maka's face popping into view as she leaned over the back of the couch. The demon scythe blinked. It was about all he could do.

"Depends. What time is it?"

She shook her head sleepily. "It's five-thirty, Soul."

"Then no, I haven't." he mustered a tired grin. The bags under his eyes were obvious.

Maka gave a long, winded yawn as she stretched her arms out behind her. Soul's grin quickly faded at the sight. He was going to miss that too. Nothing special about her yawning, but it was just another thing that he wasn't going to see for a hundred and sixty-eight hours. It was yet another thought that ate at him behind an expressionless face that no one could see through. Except for Maka of course.

"What's wrong, Soul?" she asked with a frown, bringing her face closer to his.

The weapon gave a halfhearted shrug as he slid his hands behind his head. "I've just been thinking, that's all."

"About what?" Maka continued to pry. Soul could hardly tell in the dark, but her eyes seemed as though they were pleading.

He sighed. "Nothing important, Maka. Now go back to bed. You got school in the morning."

"But you don't, is that it?"

Soul's normally harsh eyes softened. The lighting was poor in that living room of theirs, but he knew Maka could tell. As if her question was confirmed, she quietly got up and walked around to the front of the couch. Sitting herself right next to his head, Maka leaned over him and gently began running her fingers through Soul's thick hair. The girl couldn't but help to smile at the faintest hint of his flinching. She'd never really done that to him before, so it came as no surprise when he became confused by her touch.

"What are you doing?" he asked without really looking for an answer. It felt good. He didn't want her to stop.

"Helping you relax." she replied matter-of-factly. "I can stop if you want?"

"No, you're fine. Keep going."

Soul couldn't contain a grin as it began spreading across his face. Maka being this nice to him? The scene was so foreign, he didn't have much of a response for it. He just lay there with his head against her lap, closing his eyes as he enjoyed his meisters touch. No wonder cats purred when people scratched them. He'd be purring too if it didn't sound so uncool.

"Everything's going to be fine," Maka said quietly, almost as if trying to convince herself. "Stein will be with you. And Harvar, and Jacqueline. The others are all three-star mesiters too, so I'm sure they know what they're doing."

Soul's head swayed in satisfaction. "Yeah."

"And it's only for a week. You probably won't even be working the whole time. Just please don't do anything stupid down there, I don't want to hear from Stein when you get back that you partied the entire time in Brazil."

"You won't."

"In fact, you might not even have to stay there the entire time. Kishins are easy. You all will have them cleared out in no time, and probably be back before the weekend."

He opened his eyes, and his mood shifted immediately. Maka continued to fiddle with his hair, but Soul was too busy looking somberly at the ceiling to care. He'd forgotten that Maka wasn't briefed. She didn't know the whole story, meaning that anything she 'knew' at the moment was just speculation. Suddenly he found himself in a difficult position; tell her the truth and have her worry, or let her remain blissfully unaware of the dangers he'd be facing.

Soul leaned back a bit and caught the dark outline of Maka's face. His eyes adjusted to the dark, he could tell by the expression on her face that she knew something was up. Her fingers stopped their combing, and the two remained still for a moment. The demon scythe realized then that from the look in her emerald green eyes that she was already worried for him. If he didn't tell her fully what he was doing in South America, then she'd never forgive him for it. He couldn't let that happen.

"Maka..." he breathed out, still looking up at his partner. "...we're not looking for Kishins."

"Well, then why are you going down there?" she asked calmly. Her tone was even, but her eyes screamed with worry.

"There's been reports of compounds in the Amazon. No one's sure what's going on in them, because anyone who goes to check it out usually ends up never making it back out. All anyone does seem to know is that the people there are extremely dangerous."

Maka bit her lip, terrified to ask the question because she already knew the answer. "What do you mean, dangerous?"

Soul didn't respond. He didn't know how to. Maka was a smart girl, so he assumed that she had already figured it out. Looking up into her eyes however, he could tell by their reflected light that she was practically begging him to answer her question. His heart sank at the prospect, but he quickly realized that again he had to be fair to Maka. If Soul told her, then it would allow her to come to terms with the truth and hopefully not worry so much for him while they were away. It was the least he could do for her, but it felt like so much.

"We're going witch hunting, Maka."

His meister took a collected breath. Witches weren't like Kishins, they were far worse. "You're hunting a witch?"

"More like ten..." he added warily, noticing the shock in her eyes.

"Ten witches...? At the same time?"

"...Maybe more."

Soul could feel Maka as she slunk back against the couch, his confession hitting her like a ton of bricks. Her loving hand fell limp against his head, and from her tremulous breaths he realized that he had probably done the wrong thing. He should have lied, told her anything other than reality. At least that way her week would have been slightly bearable. Now he wasn't so sure if she could even function.

Laying there, with nothing but the apartments A/C rumbling outside to ease the awkward air, Soul contemplated telling Maka the one thing that had been on his mind all day. That he was going to be lost without her and her stupid pigtails. That he'd feel slightly incomplete without the outline of a book mashed into his face, or hearing her shout as she brought its spine into his skull. Soul needed to tell her, for the both of them. He flipped over and got on his knees, crawling over to Maka who had brought her legs close to her chest. Leaning into her and bringing his face down to hers, he only managed to open his mouth before she cut him off.

"I'm going to miss you." she choked.

His eyes widened for a minute in surprise, but then his face quickly settled into a wary smile. He realized then that Maka had been going through the same thing he had been. On one hand, it made him feel slightly worse knowing that Maka's thoughts had been in a jumble all day. On the other hand, he couldn't but feel slightly happy knowing that his meister cared enough about him to ponder such things. Both sides convinced him however that it was his turn to do the comforting. Maka had done enough for him already.

Wrapping his arms around her, he brought her head up with a simple call. Maka was surprised by his touch, but thoroughly embraced it. She placed her cheek against his shoulder as she hugged him back, looking over to the side as they held each other tightly.

"I'm gonna miss you too." he told her evenly.

She held onto him with all her strength, basking in his presence one last time. "Please be safe."

"I will." her weapon replied. He wished within the deepest parts of his mind that he didn't have to leave her. He wanted to stay.

Unfortunately, two hours later, Soul Eater found himself on the plane to Manaus, Brazil. One of the meisters sat next to him, fast asleep as his limp head kept bumping into Soul's shoulder.

He'd much rather it have been Maka. At least then he could have fallen asleep with her.

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><p>A twig snapped somewhere nearby. His eyes flew open, the noise sending his heart into a death-sprint. Any comforting thoughts of that night immediately escaped him, thrusting him painfully back into reality. Senses dulled and vision blurry, Soul threw his head around in desperate search for the origin of the sound. Fear rushed through him as the thought of a witch making it into their camp came to the forefront of his mind.<p>

"Soul, calm down." a hushed voice told him. "I just made some eggs and I was wondering if you wanted some."

The weapon gave a tired sigh of relief. Vision becoming clearer, he adjusted his sight to a girl hunched over next to him. The smell of fresh eggs wafted through the air and into his nose as the image of Jacqueline with a small pan in her hand became apparent. The metal underneath grew bright red as fire flicked from her hands and around the cooking tool. Soul's mouth watered.

"Where the hell did you get eggs from?"

The black haired girl simply stirred the food with a stick. "I found a birds nest around here."

Soul cringed at the thought of Jacqueline stealing a birds eggs, but he kept any reservations he had to himself. His stomach was too empty to deny any form of food. While he hadn't slept in thirty-six hours, he also hadn't eaten in eighteen. There had been no time to stop for anything. Between attacking witches and running away from them, it was a tiring tug-of-war for control that ate up time for anything unnecessary. Like eating, sleeping, and bathing.

"You gonna eat, or not?" the demon lantern prodded, sticking the pan in front of his face.

He straightened his back a bit and let his head rest against the trunk of the tree. "Yeah, sure. Thanks."

Reaching into the searing hot pan, he grabbed a pinch of eggs and tossed them into his mouth. Barely chewing, he let the food slide down his throat and into his empty stomach. Jacqueline smiled as he immediately closed his eyes afterwards and seemed to fall right back asleep. For a moment, it looked as though he really had. However, a sudden muffled burp of his quickly tossed that theory out the window.

"Terrible." Soul murmured, causing Jacqueline's eyes to narrow at him. "I could've sworn I tasted feathers."

"Well then I'll be sure next time not to let you know when I find food."

He gave a tired sneer. "Chill, I'm just tired. I really do appreciate the breakfast."

"I hope so," she replied softly, grabbing some of the eggs and popping them in her mouth. "Because this is also lunch. Maybe even dinner."

"You gotta be kidding me! How the hell are supposed to hunt witches without eating a goddamn thing?"

Jacqueline shrugged. "I don't like it either, but we have to do what Stein and the others say. They're the meisters."

The albino scythe snorted at the concept, wondering why all of a sudden they had become blindly loyal soldiers. There was no real point to the mission at all. Hunting down witches was important, but not when there were such dismal odds of winning. Not to mention the fact that they were going in blind. No one knew what the witches were up to, so how could anyone be expected to defeat them when you didn't know _what_ to expect?

"Are the others up yet?" he growled, not having the strength to complain anymore.

Jacqueline tucked her legs in and rested her head on top of her knees. "Stein and Harvar. They went to go scout up ahead a few minutes ago. I don't know how those two do it, they never seem to sleep and yet they have all this energy to keep going."

"Whatever, I saw Stein passed out a little while ago." Soul mocked offhandedly.

"And yet he's the one running around looking for witches, while you're stuck sitting down half dead eating breakfast?"

The demon scythe threw an evil glare at his weapon associate, met only by her coy smile as she looked back at him. Kim must have been rubbing off on her because he found that Jacqueline could be pretty vicious when she wanted to be. Granted, Soul did respect her for it. It was nice having someone around who reminded him so much of his own sadistic personality. That aside however, Soul was in no mood to be prodded. Jacqueline, although still smiling, took his cue and laid back against the tree. He in turn settled down and went back to greeting the inside of his eyelids.

Soul just let the sounds of the Amazon Forest take him away in a momentary reprieve as he thought of when they had first arrived in Brazil. Immediately getting off the plane, they went into town for supplies. Very little sight seeing, with even less conversation between them. Five hours after, the small team found themselves knee deep in jungles and rivers. It wasn't long after that when they discovered their first witch, an old man posing as a local healer. He ended up going down easy, but it was his family that ended up giving them the most trouble. A daughter, two sons, and what looked like his wife. Five witches souls in one day, and they hadn't even reached the compounds yet.

It was on the second day that Soul realized they were in over their heads. They had finally reached the target, but after noticing how many witches were down there, they stayed a very safe distance away. The number was more than anybody had expected. Stein estimated about twenty, but it looked more like somewhere around thirty. Soul remembered vividly as when they watched, a demented laugh built up in his chest. Nothing was funny about their situation, it was just the only thing he was capable of doing. And as the laugh escaped his lungs and filtered through his nose, he muttered to himself;_ I'm sorry, Maka._

Soul opened his eyes. He'd rather forget all of it.

"I'm gonna go take a piss." he said suddenly and begrudgingly, earning Jacqueline's ire.

"Thanks for telling me, I'll be sure to let the others know." she replied sarcastically, watching him flatly as he picked himself up.

Wobbling for a moment, he nodded unknowingly at Jacqueline's snide remark and immediately set out past the brushes and away from sight. Once he was gone, she sighed at his pitiful state. Soul Eater may have been acting as if he was taking it all in stride, but Jacqueline knew deep down that something was gnawing at him. Then again, there was a lot of that going around. Herself included, the weapons all missed their meisters. Even Harvar, who showed little to no emotion, seemed colder and more cross than usual. The adults didn't make anything easier. Stein of course tried, but with their current predicament there was not much he could do for them.

Jacqueline tilted her head, and sighed as she stared at the floor in front of her. "Kim, I wish you were here right now. I've got no one to talk to besides these two idiots."

_"I hope you're not talking about me."_

She couldn't have looked up fast enough. Immediately popping to see who it was, Jacqueline's gaze met a stoic Harvar's as he stood there in front of her. Pink quickly rushed to her cheeks in embarrassment, flustered to the point of almost not being able to respond.

"Harvar, I'm sorry! I didn't mean anything by it, I'm just tired and...I don't know. It just kind of sucks being surrounded by only guys, you know?" she sputtered, trying to cover her tracks.

His face was nearly expressionless, and tone monotonous. "I understand."

Jaqeuline sunk back into her spot on the ground and warily smiled at her friend. He always so robotic, so serious. Sometimes it was awkward, but other times, like at that moment, it was convenient for her. Thankful that she hadn't hurt his feelings, the demon lantern offered Harvar a seat right next to her. Without so much as a head-shake or a wave of the hand, he simply replied 'no'.

"So did you find anything when you were scouting with Stein?" she asked him, completely accepting his rude answer.

His reply was almost instantaneous. "There was one witch nearby."

"Are you serious?" Jacqueline sucked in air at the thought of one of them so close to their camp. "How close? Should we wake the others?"

"That won't be necessary." Haravar answered back.

"What do you mean, that won't be necessary?"

"It's being taken care of."

A brow raised on the girl's face at the strange way her teammate was acting. True, he had no personality to speak of, but something about his behavior just seemed out of character. They had been friends of sorts for years, so she knew when he was off. Maybe it was the way Harvar answered her questions, or perhaps it was the fact that with each sentence he seemed to be inching closer and closer towards her.

Then of course, her mind clicked. She had to be on guard. They were hunting for witches, the trickiest people to deal with. If something was wrong, they were usually the culprit. So why else then would her friend of so long suddenly start acting strangely for no apparent reason? It led to only one thing.

"Harvar..." she started evenly, keeping her eyes on him as he took another step forward. "...Where's Stein?"

Another step. "Looking for the witch right now."

"And why aren't you with him?

Another step. "Because it's dangerous."

Jacqueline gripped the soil beneath her. He was getting far too close. "Of course it's dangerous. We're hunting for witches."

Suddenly he stopped. "I'm not hunting them, though."

"Why are you the only one then?" The girl's heart was beating too fast, she couldn't control it.

Both of them stayed dead silent for a moment. Jacqueline's breath was collected but her pulse was through the roof. Harvar just stared at her through those orange sunglasses of his. Never showing emotion, only his calm demeanor and stoic features being the only thing he showed. The only things he ever showed anyone.

That is until a wicked grin spread across his face. It was frightening how quickly his aura changed, from cool and calm to malicious and evil. Jacqueline couldn't help but flinch from his sudden shift, reeling backwards as bright white teeth showed through a demonic sneer. There was no way she could respond to it, or anything else that happened after that.

In an instant, Harvar jumped onto her, clasping his hand over her mouth as he straddled her against the tree. Jacqueline struggled and squealed as his twisted face pressed against hers, those frightening eyes now fully visible through his glasses. Eyes like a bull-frog, they seemed to pop out of his skull. She tried to scream in horror but he wouldn't allow it. Pressing her against the tree trunk till air could barely make it into her lungs, he quietly hushed her as the others in the camp remained fast asleep.

"I wouldn't want to kill my own kind, would I?" he cooed in a voice so unlike Harvar's. "Besides. My time's being spent to much better use."

Jacqueline tried so desperately to call out to her teammates, but the impostor on top of her made sure that she stayed silent. She began to shake as his cold touch seemed to penetrate her skin, sucking away all of her heat. Again the girl tried squirming, but that only caused the witch to tighten his grip on her. She gave a muffled cry as his hands dug deep into the flesh of her face and arm, the demon taking great pleasure in the pain he was inflicting on her.

He licked his lips. "You have no idea what pain is, runt. Always having to live in fear of being killed by you shibusen brats. You can't comprehend our miserable lives. But don't worry. I'll give you a taste..."

The shaken girl's stomach flipped over itself at what she saw next. Harvar's mouth wide open, a giant tongue slipped out from between his lips. It was a disgusting sight to behold, and she began to gag while she watched as the witch started flick his appendage at her. Hair on the back of her head stood on end as he brought it dangerously close to her face, waving suggestively along her cheeks.

"...actually I lied again. You'll be the one giving me a taste." he smiled at her with a sickening sweetness. "At least this way, you won't die a virgin."

Tears filled Jacqueline's eyes as the witch on top of her started to inch closer, his bulging eyes twirling in their sockets. So close was he that she could feel his disgusting breath as it brush against her nose and lips. His giant tongue wavered back and forth as if trying to look for the perfect place to make contact with her. The fear inside her kept her frozen, even though she knew that it was almost too late. She had to to break free, but there was nothing more to do. The salty tears ran down her face. It was over.

_"You're a sick freak, you know that?"_

A blade came out from behind Jacqueline, effectively stopping the clone of Harvar dead in his tracks as it came close to his face. Still pinned to the tree, the girl knew right away that it was Soul. With every fiber of her being she silently thanked him, tears continuing to flow from her eyes only this time out of joy.

"You really think you're going to kill me with that pitiful excuse for a blade, 'Deathscythe'?" Harvar sneered, retracting the giant tongue immediately back into his mouth.

Soul Eater snorted in amusement. "I don't, but let's see what Stein has to say about it."

"Like I'm afraid of that fucking gray haired meister of yours-!"

_"-You should be."_

A thunder-clap. The sudden screams of the other meisters as they finally awoke from their comatose states. Jacqueline's wide, red puffy eyes staring at the tip of a bloodied spear as it flirted dangerously with the tip of her nose. It all came together as Professor Stein hunched over with the real Harvar in his hands, their electrical resonance slicing through the witches heart with barely any resistance. The sick creature was left to writhe in a death-throw, grasping at the spear's hilt in a desperate bid to free himself. A sadistic grin spread across the meister's face. There would be no escape.

Another jolt of lightning shot out from the demon spear, both Stein and Harvar putting all of their force into one last shock. His doppleganger screamed in agony one last time, then immediately fell limp once the electricity stopped surging through his veins. The witch's grip on Jacqueline promptly disappeared, to which she quickly bucked him off of her and jumped away from the scene. Still rattled by the ordeal she came to Soul, who awkwardly put his arm around her in comfort.

Together the four of them watched as the clone of Harvar twitched on the ground one last time, though they knew by then he was long since dead.

"What the hell was that!" one of the other meisters shouted as he approached them with the other in tow.

Stein shook his head at their tardiness. "It was a chameleon witch. Harvar and I lost track of him while we were scouting and he must have found his way here with our tracks."

"We should have never let that happen."

Harvar's weapon form soon flashed a glowing yellow in Stein's hands, the latter knowing to let go at precisely the right time as the boy transformed back. Once in human form the boy immediately rushed over to his two friends, leaving his meister to clean up after the witch's soul and inform the others what had fully happened. Jacqueline had already calmed and Soul had released her, but still she found herself wiping water from her eyes.

The normally stoic boy couldn't help but to not look her in the eyes as he approached. "Are you ok, Jacqueline?"

"I'm fine." she breathed in, regaining her composure. "I just got freaked out, that's all."

"I don't blame you, I'd be freaked out too if I found _that _thing on top of me." Soul hissed, motioning towards the dead body on the ground.

All three of them spared a glance at the corpse on the ground. By then it hardly looked like Harvar anymore, instead resembling what looked like a chameleon the size of a man. Again Jacqueline's stomach churned at the though of being violated by a reptile, but she hid her distaste when she caught view of Harvar's eyes droop to the ground from behind his glasses.

The girl put a soothing hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't your fault Harvar. You know that, right?"

He looked up to her and nodded. "I know. It's just that-"

"-We need to head out immediately."

Their attention turned to Stein as he approached them, the other two meisters following right behind him with fully loaded packs. Harvar instantly popped to attention at their presence, as if awaiting further orders. Jacqueline's shoulders sank, knowing full well that their short lived conversation had already ended.

"What's the rush? The witch is dead, we should be safe for now." Soul reasoned, scowling at the thought of packing up camp _again._

"That's precisely why we need to leave right now." Stein answered back tiredly, looking at the corpse on the ground as he did. "If one of them knew even for a short time that we're here, others will probably know as well. We need to use the opportunity we have to find another camp while it's still peaceful."

The meister to the left of him held out a fully loaded pack to the Deathscythe, to which Soul took bitterly. "We didn't unload last night, so everything's already fully packed."

"Fuckin' lovely." he replied coldly, slipping on the twenty pound backpack in one motion.

Stein sighed at his pupil's attitude, but he had more pressing matters to attend to. Taking one last look around the camp to make sure nothing pointed to them being there, the professor then attended to Harvar and Jacqueline and helped them put on their packs. The two remaining meisters were tasked with scouting up ahead to make sure it was safe for the others to continue on. That left Soul to stand there, still tired and starving, to look around and let everything sink in.

Harvar was feeling guilty, if that was even possible for him. Jacqueline worried that her friend blamed himself, and also quite possibly was still shaken by the situation earlier. Stein was juggling being team leader, mentor, and father figure, and failing equally at all three. Those other meisters were fucking useless, being mere puppets for the weapons to do the real work of the mission. And what was left for Soul Eater? Nothing but the bittersweet thought of making it out of that hell-hole of theirs.

He closed his eyes just one last time and let the sun beat down on him through the foliage of the canopies above. It was hot. It was humid. But at least he felt something. At least the little rays of light that bounced against his face reminded him of that night with Maka. Her fingers gently touching his skin like that, it was such a new feeling and he barely had enough time to enjoy it, let alone take advantage of it. A smirk found it's way on Soul's face. He wondered what he would've done if he had more time with her.

"Let's go, Soul Eater." someone called to him from behind. It was probably Stein.

Snapped back into reality yet again, Soul's smirk disappeared as quickly as it came. With barely an acknowledgment he spun around and set off to follow the others as they followed suit. Still, even as they marched off through the forests of a dangerous country with witches all around them, Soul found himself smiling on the inside.

Because he knew then and there exactly what he would've done if he had more time with her.

Maybe it was just the Amazon heat making him feel that way.

Or maybe he always sort of wanted to.

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><p><strong>A.N.<strong>

I thought of _Apocalypse Now _when I started writing this. Very jungle-y theme, off-to-war kind of feel to it. Always wanted to write a story like that!

True, much of this first part actually involves Jacqueline with a little Maka in it, but I figured that the poor girl needed some ample limelight because quite frankly, she doesn't get much love in the character development department. Harvar either, although I'll be sure to flesh everyone out a bit later on.

And yes, that means I'll be continuing this. With _Training Days_ on it's last days (I still need to write out that last chapter...) I'd mine as well make another multi-part story. Although to be honest, this one probably won't be more than three or four chapters.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Soul Eater

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><p><strong>Dig Through the Ditches<strong>

**by**. Lacrow

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><p><strong>-The Fourth Night-<strong>

A shiver ran up the girl's spine, causing her normally soft skin to erupt in goosebumps. She instinctively reached for the bunched up blankets at her feet, promptly covering herself as the moonlight from outside bathed her in an eerie glow through a single hole in the curtains. Even in the desert that was Death City, nights were still cold. And although Blair was cuddled in the space between her legs to help keep the cold out, Maka just couldn't seem to stay warm. It was almost as if something was missing, like it was draining her.

She shook her head. _He _was the only thing missing from her life.

Book sprawled out across her chest as she lay there half conscious, Maka's mind wandered. Four days without her partner, without so much as a call to tell her that they had arrived safely. She had a pretty good idea of what it entailed when they said _covert_, but even knowing this important fact, the ash blonde girl still found herself irritated at his silence. With her hand she wiped away the blur from her eyes. It was nine o'clock on a Friday night, and already she was in bed. The following morning would be a late one, that much she already knew.

Is this what she was reduced to when he left her? Early to bed, late to rise, plainer than usual Maka? How could his absence make even _school _seem dull? The academy library was the only form of comfort that she'd had in the past half week, and even that barely kept her going. With a scowl she flipped over the book on her chest and glanced at the title through the moonlight. _A Harvester's Soul. _

Maka checked it out from school for the weekend, but she had hardly even read it past the first few pages. She kept eyeing the cover, always falling back on those four letters at the very end. Every mention of his name, whether it be in passing conversations or written out on paper, always gave her a new experience in worry. Was he ok? How was the mission? Did he miss her...

...as much as she missed him? Maka shook her head at the concept. There was no way a 'cool' guy like Soul would obsess over being away for a week. So then if he wasn't worried, why was she?

There was no logical answer for it, and she sure wasn't going to stay up long to try and figure it out. So, letting that pitiful novel of her's fall to the floor, Maka allowed her exhaustion to take over. Her muscles loosened and her head fell gently to the side. As she closed one eye, another peeked through heavy lids to catch the time on clock atop the dresser nearest her bed. Ten o'clock.

As if satisfied with the result, she gave a weak smile. Knowing the time gave her further resolve to fall asleep faster and let the night pass her by. The quicker she did, Maka reasoned, the sooner Soul would come back and everything would return to normal. It was almost too good to be true, but like a child waiting for Santa Clause to come, she bought into it without hesitation.

_Besides, _Maka thought to herself, letting the cool of the night slowly creep over her. _It's one o'clock in Brazil. He's probably already asleep._

* * *

><p>Stein retracted his blade from the corpse of their latest victim. Magic infused blood trickled from the blade of his scythe onto the ground, splattering off the dirt and into one of the many puddles of water scattered through out the area. Muttering something to the weapon before releasing it, the professor watched as Soul Eater transformed in a flash of light. His white hair standing out against the backdrop of dark jungle night, the boy begrudgingly ran a hand through it. He wasn't happy.<p>

"Yeah, well, it's not like I asked to be your partner Stein."

The teacher looked flatly at his student, hoping to approach things civilly. "I know where you're coming from, Soul. But Maka's not always going to be there-"

"-I'm tired." he cut the man off plainly, pivoting with his heels in the opposite direction. "I'll see you back at camp."

A trace of a frown painted on his face, Stein watched as Soul disappeared behind some brush in the direction of their new campsite. Knowing well that he meant every word, the meister was fully aware that he was now on his own in the dangerous jungle that was the Amazon. Unfazed and unafraid however, Stein simply let his attention fall to the mutilated corpse that lay next to his feet.

"I suppose you won't leave me, will you?" he smiled, taking a cigarette from his coat and placing it between his lips. "Then again, it's not like you can."

_Fucking idiot. _The thought crossed Soul's mind more than once as he made the short trek back to his teammate's location. Attacking branches and leaves in his path with a scythe sprouted from his wrist, the bleach haired weapon silently fumed to himself as he recounted Stein's words to him right after the fight.

_Your form is sloppy. I'm not Maka. You need to stop worrying about her, and focus on resonating with me._

What did he care? It's not like anyone _asked _him if he wanted to go on vacation for a week in No-Man's Land, Brazil. No one _asked _if he minded switching partners, which he most certainly did with a passion. It was the the same for Jacqueline and Harvar too. All three of them belonged to their respective meisters, and no one else. So why was it then that Lord Death suddenly found it necessary to wrench them away and put them in a make-shift team together with two strangers?

A low hanging branch was quickly cut down by his blade. "Fucking idiot."

Soul continued to seethe under his anger, but at the same time began to question his own emotions as the faint sound of his teammates became slowly clearer. He wondered why exactly it bothered him so much that Maka wasn't there with him. It was strange, considering that he mostly felt _relieved _that she wasn't there to suffer long nights and life-threatening situations constantly. She could handle it to be sure, but if it was a choice between him suffering it and Maka, then Soul Eater would practically volunteer for her.

But, why exactly?

That nagging thought finally took up so much of his concentration that he stopped dead in his tracks to ponder it. Between the soaked air and noises of buzzing insects, it was hardly the place to come to any sort of revelation. But sure enough, that's where he was. In the middle of a jungle, asking himself a question he wish he knew the answer to. What did Maka mean to him?

Ultimately, there was no answer in words. Instead, it came in the form of the scar that dug deep into the spread of his torso. With a dirtied hand, he felt for it against his shirt and stopped at the point where the cut had been deepest, above his heart. A quiet snort escaped him as he recalled how he had gotten the wound in the first place. Jumping in front of a sword, just to not have to watch her being cut down in front of him. Soul figured he was just selfish that way. How could he live with himself if she _ever _got hurt they way he had? The short answer was, he couldn't.

"Dam you, Maka." he chuckled painfully, clenching his shirt with a fist.

_"You two have another fight, or something?"_

Soul looked up, knowing already from the sound of his voice that it was Harvar. Standing there atop a fallen log, the statue of a boy looked down on the expressionless scythe, both giving little acknowledgement as to the other's presence for a moment. Finally, Soul's grip on himself loosened, and he let his hands fall back to their usual place inside his pockets.

"I haven't even talked to her in four days, what could we be fighting about?"

Harvar's face eased about a degree. "Actually, I was talking about you and Stein.

Soul's eyes fell flat. An _'oh'_ was all he could muster. The thought of his temporary meister still sent him a sour mood, and quickly he found himself taking up a seat on the ground next to Harvar, his back pressed firmly against the rotted out log. Picking up on a silent cue, Harvar obediently fell to Soul's side, the two not even so much looking at each other. They simply stared back at the direction Soul came from, back where Stein still was all by himself.

Surprisingly, it was Harvar who made the first move. "You haven't gotten along with him lately."

"Yeah, no shit." Soul spat, putting his elbows up on the log behind them. "The guy's been an ass all week long!"

"That's not true, and you know it."

The demon scythe scowled at his friend. "Whatever! Nobody asked for your opinion!"

Harvar closed his eyes. "At least I'm not acting 'uncool' by getting all defensive about the subject."

Soul bit his tongue. Was _Jacqueline _rubbing off on him? Because even though the guy had no emotions, he still seemed pretty capable of ripping someone apart verbally. Or maybe just everyone on his team was trying to piss him off that week? Either way, Harvar's words immediately hushed his venting, and the two continued to stare out into the unknown.

"So why exactly are you upset at him?"

"How should I know?" Soul mumbled, taking a deep breath to cool himself off. "He's been pissin me off since we got here."

Truth was, the bleach haired boy knew exactly why that gray haired teacher of his angered him so much. The fact that he wasn't Maka was only partly to blame. He would've been annoyed by anyone trying to take her place, but it had little to do with Stein as a person. What ate at Soul was the fact that his usually somewhat cool teacher was doing three completely contradictory jobs at once, and completely brushing off the fact as though it was all so natural.

To be a mentor, you have to connect with your students. He had already done that. But being a team-leader means that you have to focus on the big picture, and any hiccups that happen along the way are irrelevant. If someone dies, it doesn't matter as long as the mission is a success. Stein didn't think that way at all, but he still had to fill in those shoes as leader of the group. Using your students as tools would pretty obviously break any connection you previously had with them.

And of course, the gall to try and act fatherly to the three weapons. Stein had always sort of done that, albeit it in his own creepy way. But now that they were being forced to hunt witches like the tools they really were, what right did he have to try and act like he actually _cared _for them? You can't use someone as a piece of meat one minute, then try and help them set up camp the next. It confused Soul so much, he always found himself scowling behind Stein's back. What was his problem? Who the hell _was _Stein?

Harvar shook his head. "It's not his fault, Soul Eater. He didn't ask to be put in this position."

"I guess." the scythe replied, too tired to start another argument. "Doesn't make it any better, though."

"You just have to get used to it."

Another snort came from Soul, but the subject was dropped. Both boys knew that Harvar was right, but between his simplicity and Soul's pride, neither of them would say anything further. Instead, they let the sounds of buzzing insects and bats in the background fill their ears. It was almost a serene place to be in, if it weren't for the sweltering heat and constant threat of danger. That aside, Soul let the cool noises put him at ease. A few minutes passed, putting him in a better mood. Harvar of course had remained silent till that point, and his team-mate figured it was his turn to break the ice.

"So," the Deathscythe started coyly, flashing a contained smirk Harvar's way. "How are you and Jacqueline holding up?"

The sight of the normally steely eyed boy flinch was enough to turn Soul's smirk into a full fledged grin. Rattled, the demon spear broke his unshakable gaze forward and averted his eyes in the opposite direction. It was a simple question, but no doubt one that had some deeper meaning.

Harvar straightened his back. "That business with the witch, it shouldn't have happened."

"I know, you keep saying that. But it's not like you could have stopped him."

"We could have." he responded, a trace of guilt in his voice. "Stein and I had the capability, it should have been easy."

Soul threw his arms behind his head and looked up at the muffled sky. "Point is, it wasn't. So don't go beating yourself up for something you can't change."

"That's not the point, Jacqueline was hurt because of me."

Something in Harvar's words caused Soul to look over at his fellow weapon. His face was turned away from him, but the twisted muscles above the corners of his brows let Soul know that the boy was clearly angry. It was a side of Harvar he had never seen before and, quite frankly, barely knew existed. The mood grew somber as Soul realized that the incident clearly ate at Harvar. For what reason specifically was none of his business, but he knew that it wouldn't have been cool to let a man beat himself up over nothing.

"You mean, you and Stein?" he reasoned, trying to let Harvar down gently.

At Soul's words, Harvar seemed to lift his head up and looked back to the jungle in front of him. "Yeah. Stein and I."

"She doesn't blame you for it, you know?" Soul said casually, again staring up at what little stars there were. "If anything, she was happy you were still alive."

"That doesn't make it any better." Harvar replied bitterly, eyes narrowed at nothing in particular.

"You just have to get used to it."

A simple scoff came from Harvar's throat, being yet another aspect of him the scythe had never seen before. At least he understood humor, because a very controlled smirk seemed to appear at the corner of his lips. Soul grinned as he caught the sight, proud of the fact that he'd not only got the boy out of his funk, but also cracked his solid exterior. Again things fell silent between them, only this time the air was much lighter, and anger slowly started to recede from the two of them.

With little light to see in front of them, the darkness was the only thing that greeted their eyes. Staring into it, indescribable shapes seemed to sprout forth from the void, dancing across their field of vision as they focused for no particular reason. It was mesmerizing, but mostly the two of them did it just to kill some time. What exactly was there for them to do? Something nagged at the back of Soul's mind, probably being important, but he just couldn't think of it. Was there something he was supposed to be remembering...?

Suddenly, a scream from the void. Soul's eyes shot wide open, his head reeling to face Harvar's. Both of them realized immediately where it had come from. Stein had never made it back. How long ago was it? Ten, twenty minutes before? Dammit, why the hell hadn't they noticed!

"Harvar!" the Deathscythe scowled, immediately jumping to his feet.

The demon spear followed suit. "I know!"

"I'll go ahead, you go back to camp!" Soul instructed, two sickles sprouting from either sides of is wrists. "Bring the others!"

Both nodding in confirmation, they went their separate ways. Harvar dashed off towards Jacqueline and the others, hoping to bring reinforcements as soon as possbile. Soul bolted towards the path he had just come from, merely hoping that it wasn't already too late. Annoying vines and branches from earlier gave Soul little grief, his mind too occupied with focusing on making it back to his temporary meister. It wasn't far, a mere hundred yards from where he sat. But every second that went by without seeing Stein's face, it sent his heart racing all over again.

"Stein, I'm coming for you dammit! Don't you die on me!"

His legs carried him faster than he thought possible, adrenaline filling his muscles and veins in a desperate attempt to stop the execution of his professor. Eyes wide to see in front of him, bugs smashed into his face as he blitzed closer and closer to the area he had last seen Stein. How the hell could a witch get to him so quickly? It was the last one, they had made sure of it! How the could Stein be caught so off guard? He was the one who made traps, not the one to fall into them!

Then of course, as Soul entered the small clearing where had been twenty minutes before, he got his answer. There in front of him appeared his meister and teacher, on both knees, staring up into the eyes of the same witch they had killed not even a half hour ago. Her eyes were bright yellow, and her teeth peeked through her lips in a strange, cat-like way. Soul watched in horror as Stein made no attempts to move, with even his chest completely still. Was he breathing?

He caught her eye. The witch turned, licking her lips as a playful smile graced her somewhat pleasant face. "You're that scythe from before, aren't you?"

"Got that right." Soul growled, bringing the sickles across his chest in an x-formation. "Why the hell aren't you dead?"

"Oh, don't worry. You killed me. I wouldn't dream of bruising your ego. It's just that..."

Soul's determined glare gave way to wide eyes as the witch stepped out from in front of Stein, letting him see her full body in what limited moonlight they had. A gaping hole in the middle of her chest let him see clear through to the background behind her, blood still flowing in bulk to the ground below. A dry heave filled his stomach as he looked on, unable to pry his attention from her sickening wound. The witch merely gave a smug cackle, letting her fingers dance along the edges of the grotesque hole in her body.

"...as you can see, cats tend to have nine lives." she finished, licking the blood off her fingertips. "It's no different for a feline-esque witch like me. You want me? You have to kill me eight more times."

Soul bore his teeth at the creature. "All you witches need to fucking die."

"Don't flatter yourself, kid. You're just as bad as we are."

Body trembling from adrenaline overload, Soul watched carefully as the golden eyed witch made her way back to Stein. He had to remain calm and not rush in. She was close enough to him to cause serious damage before he could make it to the teacher, maybe even kill him. It didn't look like the meister could even breathe, let alone defend himself. All he did was kneel there, looking up the witch through the glasses on his nose. It must've been some sort of spell.

Cautiously, he took a step forward. That simple action sent the witch into a frenzy, grabbing Stein by the hair and pulling him up to her level. The statue for a professor stood on his own, but seemed only able to by her allowance. Soul stopped dead in his tracks, afraid that any more motion would cause the witch to do something drastic. As if satisfied by the result she had produced, the cat woman let Stein drop to his knees yet again. This time, his head remained facing forward.

"Tell you what." she cooed softly, running her hand along Stein's frozen cheek. "I'm in a giving sort of mood."

Soul scowled at the demented woman. "What the hell are you planning you crazy bitch?"

"It's simple really, I want to repay you for putting this lovely hole in my chest."

"If you're looking for sex like your friend was, I'm not in the mood." Soul hissed, though still careful not to anger her.

The witch muffled a laugh. "I like you kid, you're ok for a Shibusen brat. Which is why the only one who's going to die tonight, is your meister."

Eyes wide and heart thumping, there was little Soul could do as she began to mutter something under her breath. Both he and Stein watched in horror as the golden eyed witch lifted her palm up in front of the professor's face, obviously preparing some kind of incantation. In any moment the spell would be complete, leaving Stein helpless in the face of an attack that he could nothing to stop.

It was at that moment the young Deathscythe faced a tough decision. Jump in and risk his teacher being killed quicker, or sit back and watch as Stein savored a few more seconds of life. There was little time to choose, and Soul wasn't one to let his friends die in front of him. With barely a hesitation, the bladed weapon ran as fast as he could to intercept them.

_"Pathra...Panther..."_

Ten feet away. So close, yet still so far! His lungs ached for air, but he ignored their pleas as he continued to go full speed. In his mind he tried to relay what to do once he arrived, but his body just couldn't handle two things at once. Putting all of his focus on making his feet go, all thoughts were tossed aside in that final bid to save his team-leader and teacher.

_"...Jaguar...Jagura!"_

A yard from where they stood, Soul's hear sank in his thumping chest as the witch completed her spell. Immediately following her words, claws erupted from the tips of her fingers. Curved and jagged, they were soon met with hair that burst forth from the woman's silky smooth hand. The shape of her appendage quickly twisted into the tell-tale form of a puma's, it black hair and claws melting perfectly into the ultimate natural weapon. A terrible sneer graced the witch's otherwise pretty face.

"I'll be sure to see you in hell."

She lifted her arm high above her head, ready to bring it crushingly down on Stein's head. The helpless meister could do nothing but stay in his frozen position, eyes glued in front of him as he awaited his imminent fate. Another demented cackle filled the air, followed by the swoosh of flying claws. Things quickly became dark and, all emotions leaving him, Stein accepted his fate. There was no way out, no chance at making a great escape. Just the inevitable fate of a dying man during his last moments of life. Wholeheartedly, his only regret was that he couldn't be there to see things through till the end. That he would miss out on his student's lives. Soul's progress as a Deathscythe...

_...Not today, witch... _

...and just like that, his thoughts were interrupted. Reality dragged him back to his senses. Vision returning as quickly as it had went, Stein at first didn't comprehend what was going on. Nothing but the view of somebody standing in front of his fixed eyes. But as the moment carried on and the sounds of heavy panting filled his ears, Stein soon realized what had happened. In his mind, the professor screamed out into an empty void at the futility of it all. The scene was painted perfectly in his thoughts, even though from his compromised position he could see nothing.

There Soul stood, arms outstretched. A slightly annoyed witch in front of him, her arm was still fixed at the last point of contact. Blood spurt from the open gash in his chest right above the sternum, eerily reminiscent of the gaping hole in the evil woman's torso. Stomach filling with air as he gasped for breath, the scythe's toothy grin wouldn't leave his face as he stared back into the golden eyes of his enemy.

"No one touches my meister." he wheezed, trembling as the sickles on his arms quickly disappeared.

The witch, in no mood for him, curled her fingers still inside his body. He let out a sickening screech. "Then I'll just finish you off first."

Tugging slowly at his flesh and bone, the hag began playing with his insides as Soul continued his agonized shrills. He could feel as the fur and claws mixed with blood between his ribs. With no strength, he grabbed her wrist with both hands and tried to pry her away, to no avail. Taking sick pleasure in all of his pain, she gave a quick thrust into his guts.

That pain. He had felt it once before. It was with Maka, the night he'd received his scar. So close to death, the feeling of a sword plunging into his body didn't even register. It overloaded the mind and went straight to the soul, leaving him blissfully unaware of just how bad his wounds were. Now, thousands of miles from home and his meister, he felt it once again. His screaming ceased, and he no longer cared. The witch, bewildered, removed her bloodied hands and scowled at the weapon as he stared back at her with wide, open eyes.

"You're no fun if you're not going to scream." she spat, licking clean her dirtied paw.

No response came from Soul. He just stood there, halfway between awake and dead. Thoughts raced through his head, but none of them could make it to words. He was alive and well on the inside, but on the outside he was the exact opposite. Stein knew all of this, though he could not see to be sure. Again he cursed himself, unable to move and save his own student.

"Well," the mutilated woman huffed, putting a hand on her hip. "If you're not going to entertain me, I'd mine as well just-...!"

From Stein's perspective, words disappeared.

He knelt there, wondering why all of a sudden the witch wasn't already finishing the two of them off.

In his confusion, the professor found quickly that motion had returned to him. What started off as a simple twitch turned into a complete reeling of his head, eyes desperately scanning in front of him in a new found sense of vision. What just happened? Did the spell wear off on its own? Had he somehow broken free? Or something else...?

The unmistakable voice of Harvar graced his ears. "How could you live through that?"

Snapping himself out of it, Stein looked up from behind the battered body of a still standing Soul Eater. There in front of them stood the witch, completely silenced by a yellow, jagged spear sticking out the side of her skull. At first it seemed to the professor that the hag was finally killed. He would've bet money on it. But as her eyes spun in their sockets and refocused on the meister holding the spear, he realized that even such a blow wasn't enough to bring her down.

"You _fucking _brats!" the woman screeched high into the night. "You'll never kill me! I've got seven lives left, and I'll rip you all to shreds before they're gone!"

Instinct took over, leaving the once helpless Stein to quickly regain control. "Alto! Jacqueline! Burn through her!"

"I'M GOING TO TEAR YOUR FLESH OFF AND FEED IT TO THE-!"

The witch's furious roars were hushed instantly at the touch of another chunk of steel against the back of her head. Unable to turn due to the spear in her skull, the pitiful creature was left only to guess the identities of her killers as the soft 'click' of a lamp turning on flooded her senses. No time to say anything else, the once golden eyed witch's head was quickly engulfed in flames. Only her loud shrieks and shrills could be heard in that otherwise silent clearing. Nobody spoke. Everyone listened.

Harvar's meister quickly retracted the spear from her still burning head, leaving Harvar to transform back. The two boys were left standing there as Jacqueline and her meister Alto stood across from them. Soul on the other side with Stein behind him, all six watched in bittersweet victory as the witch fell to the ground amidst scarlet flames. Screams long since died down, the only audible thing left was the sound of sizzling flesh and crackling bones. When a sphere of purple soon rose from the burning heap, they knew that it was finally over.

"Guess no matter how many lives you have, you still need a body." Jacqueline said meekly.

Harvar shook his head. "Dam witches. Stein, what do we do with the soul...?"

Ironically, the four of them turning their attention to the professor, they immediately found him tending to the _other _Soul. The demon scythe lay on his back, sucking in air as Stein cut away at his uniform. Throwing each other a quick look of worry, both Harvar and Jacqueline dragged their meisters to their friend's side. Hoping to help in some small way, they clamored around him in subtle desperation. Pain gripped the young weapon's face, but that signature toothy grin was still present on his lips.

"Dammit, Soul Eater!" Stein hissed, ripping off a piece of his coat for bandages. "Why'd you throw yourself in front of me like that? You could've been killed!"

The boy wheezed, but still mustered a chuckle. "You're welcome."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but do you realize how serious your injuries are?" Stein breathed in, carefully dressing his student's wounds.

"Bad." He replied meekly. That grin of his was quickly fading, along with his sense vision.

The meister shook his head, still getting a handle on the bleeding. "Why'd you do take the hit for me, Soul?"

"I don't know."

After that, things started to get blurry in Soul's mind. He remembered saying a few more words after that and hearing the others say something else, but other then that, the outside world was quickly shut off to him. It was kind of peaceful really, not having to worry about what others were doing. Being trapped inside his own mind and at the mercy of fate, it felt almost liberating. So close to death, but he knew he'd never cross over fully. He was too stubborn to die. There were still some things he needed to do.

Like figure out why exactly he jumped in front of Stein, although deep down, he already knew the answer. No offense to that leader of his, but he didn't do it for him. Nor did he actually consider doing it for him. Instead, it was more of a response to a feeling. One in which, if put in the exact same scenario again and again, would probably react the same way every time.

Because watching Stein helpless like that, so open to danger, reminded of that night in Italy with Maka. How she had almost died if he hadn't stepped in the save her.

Inside Soul's mind as well as on the outside, a smirk appeared across his face.

He might've saved Stein, but he thought of Maka as he did it.

* * *

><p>"Maka? Are you sick or something?"<p>

Spaghetti seemed to lose it allure. Though it was the only thing available in the Shibusen cafeteria, the lonely meister just couldn't bring herself to touch it. Black Star had no problem gobbling it down, and Tsubaki still grazed at it even though she said she wasn't hungry. Maka, on the other hand, was hungry. Very much so, in fact. But even with a rumbling stomach and the smell of fresh bread wafting through the air, the girl found herself always putting the fork down the minute she picked it up.

"No." she said softly, still eyeing the plate in front of her. "I just can't seem to eat today."

Maybe it was the fact that Italian was always _his _favorite food? Even if it was school lunch food, it just didn't seem right to take a bite out of something like that when he wasn't there to enjoy it as well. Or perhaps it was the fact that five days without a call from him really _had _made her sick with worry? Lately she could barely bring herself to school, let alone make a decent breakfast in the morning. The past two days she'd even forgot to bring lunch money, Tsubaki being kind enough to give her a loan both times.

The mild-mannered weapon placed her hand on Maka's. "Is this about Soul?"

"Of course not!" she outright denied, though not entirely sure why it was so difficult for her to admit.

"You can't fool us Maka! I'm no genius like you, but it doesn't take one to figure out you're depressed!" Black Star scowled at her through puffed up cheeks, his mouth full to the brim with pasta. "Soul's a _Deathscythe. _He can handle himself. If anything you should be worried about Harvar and Jacqueline, those two are probably clueless!"

Maka's eyes flattened at her fellow meister. "That's pretty rude, Star. They're part of Spartoi too, they're perfectly capable!"

"Whatever. They're probably bleeding all over themselves as we speak..."

The blonde haired girl immediately straightened at his words. Something about that last sentence just started to make her think. Looking down warily at that plate of spaghetti of her's, Maka realized why all of a sudden she was so turned off to the prospect of Italian. It wasn't because it was Soul's favorite, or because she wasn't feeling well. The real reason was that sauce that flooded itself all over her plate. It was thick, and goopy. But most of all, it was red. The color of blood.

Stomach quickly becoming queasy, she shoved the plate away from her without hesitation. Black Star and Tsubaki watched in bewilderment as Maka excused herself from the table, eyes hung low as she quickly made her way through the cafeteria and out into the hallway. Sucking in air, the normally collected girl tried to calm down, but the damage was already done. Terrible thoughts ran through her head as to what this dreaded feeling meant. Did something happen to Soul? Was he alright?

"Maka?" a familiar voice called to her, its owner having followed the girl into the hall. "Is everything ok?"

"Yes Tsubaki, I'm fine." Maka replied crossly.

The brunette could hear the pain in her best friend's words. "It's Soul Eater, isn't it?"

"Why is it always about Soul! My world doesn't revolve around him!"

Tsubaki twiddled her fingers meekly at Maka's anger. "Maka, you can tell me anything. If something's bothering you, let me know. I'm sure Soul would-"

"-Soul isn't here now!" the meister practically shouted into the empty halls. "He's off doing some mission and I'm left stuck at home! Who cares if he's off being successful and partying it up in Brazil? I don't! Who cares if he never calls or tells me he's ok? Or that he needs my help..! Or that he's hurt..."

Maka's eyes starting waver as she continued, Tsubaki could sense what was wrong. Without a word, she put her arms around her best friend and embraced her, the latter giving no resistance. Weakly, Maka did the same and together, the two girls stood there in the hallway as emotions spilled over. They needed no sentences to let them know how the other felt, as was the advantage of being such close friends for so long. It didn't take long for Maka to feel more at ease, to which Tsubaki promptly released her.

"Maybe we should go see Lord Death?" the weapon asked gently, still holding onto the other's shoulders.

Maka took a deep breath. "Why would we do that?"

"Well," Tsubaki smiled. "Perhaps get some information that might make you feel better? Or better yet, maybe he'll even let you talk to Soul through his mirror!"

The blonde's air to her immediately perked. Why hadn't she thought of that sooner? There was no way Lord Death could deny them, he was just too nice of a person to let a girl stay depressed for a whole week. Without much prodding, Maka quickly agreed to the proposition. With a nod and a newly cheerful smile, she immediately turned around and headed off for the Death Room with Tsubaki in tow. Black Star might start to wonder where they had went in a few minutes, but Maka hardly thought about that at the moment.

"I'll finally get to check up on him!" she sang, more to herself that Tsubaki. The latter couldn't help but smile at her friend's newly found optimism.

Because in a few minutes, they were going to prove once and for all that Soul was perfectly alright.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong>

This chapter was so much longer than expected...it was originally much shorter, but I tossed it because it sucked. Ah the curse of being a writer...

Oh well, curses aside. Harvar and Stein both got a little fleshing out this time around, and I even named one of the mesiters (yay!) Doubt they'll have a backstory, but who knows? We'll see. Chapter 3's a for-sure. I _might _make more than four chapters, so just keep your eyes peeled before I give you a definitive answer.


End file.
